The ANBU cleaners finally arrived.
"Lord Kakashi."
Four masked figures landed around them.
When their eyes swept across the battlefield, even they couldn't hide their shock.
The Four Celestial Symbols Men…
From the Craftsmen Ninja Village?
Why were they here?
And—
Souma had actually bound one using sealing techniques…
"Senpai, his armor absorbs chakra. Your Wood Release won't work on him."
"Understood."
Yamato immediately changed his hand signs. The four ANBU members spread out and formed a square formation.
Chakra seals surged from their palms and crawled over Kyūshin's entire body like glowing chains.
Souma finally released some pressure from his binding array.
"You… you Five Great Nations… damn you… damn you all! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Kyūshin let out a distorted scream.
The moment the ANBU's binding seals activated, his armor reacted violently, fighting back with an unstable surge of chakra.
But—
Souma suddenly appeared right before him.
One palm strike.
The chakra aura protecting the armor rippled violently.
A second figure followed immediately from behind—Kakashi.
He was struck with a Five Elements Seal as well. It wasn't as precise as Souma's, but it was enough to disrupt the armor's function.
Then—
Both blades swung across his neck.
A clean cut.
A spray of blood.
Kyūshin's head rolled.
Souma and Kakashi both exhaled, collapsing onto the ground from exhaustion.
"Lord Kakashi, are you injured?"
"Yamato… if you'd shown up any later, we'd really be dead."
Kakashi peeled off his hitai-ate, revealing a weary expression.
He truly had nothing left—not even a shred of chakra.
If he moved any further, it would be shaving years off his life.
"We weren't slow. You and your team were too fast."
Yamato couldn't help complaining.
He glanced over the battlefield again.
Dozens of samurai… the Four Celestial Symbols Men… most were already dead by the time ANBU arrived.
If they had come even a few minutes later, the last two probably would've been gone too.
After thinking about it, Yamato realized—
his only real contribution today…
was taking over Souma's sealing array at the very end.
His mouth twitched.
He had heard rumors about Yagyu Souma…
but this was absurd.
"That sealing formation just now… is that a new type of binding array?"
"Mm."
Souma nodded while panting.
"Souma, Tenten, Hazuki."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!"
Tenten and Hazuki had been cleaning up the battlefield. Hearing Kakashi call them, they hurried over.
"You three did great."
Kakashi raised a thumb.
"Sensei, I only helped with a tiny part— Sensei? Kakashi-sensei?!"
"…He passed out."
Souma caught him.
The Sharingan's burden was too much.
If he hadn't swallowed a soldier pill earlier, he'd be in much worse shape.
"At this point, let us handle him."
Yamato lifted Kakashi onto his back with a soft sigh.
What an unbelievable genin…
He'd already inspected the battlefield.
Yes, Kakashi had handled most of the Four Celestial Symbols Men, but Souma's contribution wasn't small at all.
To devise counters on the spot…
This kid was terrifyingly capable.
"Thanks."
Souma stood up.
Moments like this made his recovery ability shine.
Although his chakra was nearly exhausted, his stamina and mental energy were quickly recovering.
He couldn't fight anymore, but normal activity was no problem.
Yamato and the ANBU secured Kakashi and followed Souma to where Yuichi had collapsed.
The samurai was completely spent, but still awake through sheer will.
Tenten and Hazuki finished cleaning the battlefield, but their expressions were heavy.
"What's wrong with you two?" Souma asked.
"Souma-kun… we… didn't contribute much…"
They lowered their heads.
Compared to what Souma had done today, their own actions looked pitiful.
Kakashi's praise only made them feel even more ashamed.
"It's normal," Souma said, smiling faintly.
"I was only in a support role today. Kakashi-sensei was the one who really cut through everything."
"That's not true!"
Tenten immediately shook her head.
"You held off a whole group of samurai, killed four of them by yourself, and set up an opening for Kakashi-sensei to finish the fight! And later, with the sealing formation—"
She listed each of his achievements one by one.
Only after cleaning the battlefield had she understood the full extent of what Souma had done.
Compared to the danger he faced, their own roles felt insignificant.
Hazuki remained quiet, then murmured:
"…I regret not entering the Chūnin Exams."
"Yeah… you protected us too well."
Tenten sighed.
"If Tenten hadn't thrown the sealing talismans perfectly, I wouldn't have been able to complete the array."
Souma chuckled.
"We're a team, aren't we?"
One of the reasons he sided with Konoha during the earlier 'choices' involving Danzo and Orochimaru…
was because Konoha still held some sense of "companionship."
The other two choices were nothing but exploitation and betrayal.
He refused to live that kind of life.
"No matter what, we'll work harder," Tenten said, clenching her fists.
"We can't keep staring at you and Kakashi-sensei's backs."
Hazuki nodded firmly.
"Speaking of which… when we get back, I have something I need your help with," Souma said, pointing at the sealing scroll.
"Those four ninja tools—you sealed them, right?"
"You want to study the Four Great Ninja Tools?"
Tenten's eyes lit up.
As a lover of weapons and tools, there was no way she hadn't heard of the Craftsmen Village's legendary artifacts.
She had sealed them away exactly because she wanted to… accidentally study them later.
She hadn't expected Souma to think the same thing.
"No wonder you rushed to clean the battlefield," Souma teased.
"Hehehe."
Hazuki looked envious.
"You two have things you're passionate about… I don't even know what I like."
"You can," Souma said.
"The Moonlight Clan's swordsmanship is famous. And today you saw Iron Country sword techniques too. You can study both when we return."
Hazuki paused, then slowly nodded.
Swordsmanship was the one field she actually felt confident in.
Except—
She remembered how, just months ago, Souma had still been a beginner in swordplay.
And now?
He had grown into a monster who could kill four elite samurai alone.
Her own talent felt like nothing by comparison.
"Hard work can make up for lack of talent," Souma said, smiling.
"And you're not lacking talent to begin with."
"Then what about you?" Hazuki asked softly.
Souma turned, grinning.
"Well, normal birds aren't eagles."
He winked—
and walked toward Yamato.
Hazuki let out a small laugh.
Once familiar, she wasn't really that quiet.
She could take a joke too.
And he wasn't wrong either.
She followed them with a lighter heart.
Back at the scene where Kakashi and Yuichi had fought, Souma examined the area and couldn't help sighing.
Clear sword marks.
Clear footprints.
Clear evidence that Kakashi had completely fooled the enemy.
Clear signs that Chi—
clear signs that Yuichi had killed the traitor with a single strike.
And that earlier sneak attack…
had only killed a water clone.
Kakashi had deceived them too thoroughly.
Yamato looked at the unconscious pair and fell into deep thought.
Souma walked up.
"Yamato-senpai."
"Mm?"
"You can use Wood Release, right?
Could you build a temporary cabin?
We should rest here for the night and wait for Kakashi-sensei to wake up."
"…"
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